Fruits of Cuba. 931 
is sturdy, and the branches spread equally, giving a full, 
regular, rounded form to the whole tree, which is about 
the size of a healthy and well-grown apple tree. 
The blossoms are small, whitish, or with a red tinge, 
growing in upright spikes. When the fruit*is formed, 
the spikes àre reversed by its weight, and the mangoes 
appear among the leaves in long pendent bunches. 
While the fruit is young, its color is a fresh and 
lively green, which is a treat to one's eyes. When it 
ripens, it generally turns yellow, and looks like a first 
rate egg-plum, only twice as large. Some of the varie- 
ties are yellow, with a red blush on one side, and some 
hardly part with their green. "The flesh is of a bright 
yellow, and juite juicy. The juice is. thick, creamy 
and luscious, and, together with a rich sweetness, pos- 
sesses a peculiar aromatic flavor, resembling that of tur- - 
pentine, which in some species is so strong as to be dis- 
agreeable to the uninitiated. This thick juice composes . 
nearly the whole of the fruit, which may be sucked 
away into the mouth, so that nothing but the stone and . 
a mass of fibres will be left. The stone is long, com- 
pressed, boat-shaped, without polish, irregularly grooved, 
and covered with hairs or fibres which penetrate the 
fruit and cause it to adhere closely. 
There are a vast many varieties of this rali in the 
East Indies, and there are several in Cuba. ` The 
French names of some of them, are Mango filandreuz, 
M. savoneux, M. abricot, M. ceur. Of these the Man- 
go ceur, or Heart Mango is much the best, and is also 
one of the largest. It is more delicate, and has less of 
the turpentine flavor than the others. It derives its 
name from i its shape. : 
